The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer Page A

sure she would. My son volunteered to take care of the class pet one summer, but it was a lizard.” Evie wrinkled her nose. “Not nearly as sweet and cuddly as Bitsy.”
    Lily’s giggle was lost in the stampede as Ava and Luke charged up to the truck.
    â€œSorry. That took longer than I expected.” Jack lagged a few steps behind them, holding Grace’s hand as she tried to keep up with her siblings.
    â€œThat’s all right. Lily and Bitsy and I were getting acquainted.”
    â€œHey, Peanut.” Jack reached through the open window and tweaked Lily’s nose. The afternoon sun cut through an opening in the clouds and ignited gold threads in their hair, drawing Evie’s attention to another similarity. “How are you and Bitsy doing today?”
    â€œHungry,” Lily said promptly.
    â€œLet’s see what we can do about that.” Jack grabbed Grace’s car seat and opened up the backseat. In less than sixty seconds he snugged it into place with the seat belt, buckled the toddler in, and stowed the diaper bag on the floor behind the seat.
    â€œAva and Luke, you two can ride with Evie, okay?” Jack flicked a glance in her direction. “If you’re still good with this. No appointments or meetings on your list?”
    â€œNo.” Was it her imagination, or was there a glint of amusement in Jack’s eyes when he mentioned her list?
    The watercolor class was scheduled to start that night, but Evie hadn’t filled out the registration form yet. She hadn’t given Melanie a definite yes yet either, but if she decided to go, there would be plenty of time to change her clothes and drive to the technical college.
    â€œMy address is 620 Fairview.” Jack picked up the other two booster seats and tossed them into the back of Evie’s Jeep. “Do you know where that is?”
    Evie nodded, even though she hadn’t ventured into that part of town for years. When she was growing up, Fairview had been considered part of Main Street. But the value of homes had plummeted when the neighborhood was rezoned so the Leiderman factory could build an addition and expand its parking lot. The handful of small, family-owned businesses had eventually closed their doors when the city council focused their attention on revitalizing the downtown area.
    â€œOkay, you two.” Jack threaded the seat belts through the booster seats and snapped them into place with the practiced ease of someone who’d done it a thousand times. “In you go.”
    Evie went around to the other side to make sure Ava’s wings didn’t get tangled in the seat belt. Which brought her face-to-face with Jack again, who was in the process of buckling Luke in.
    As he reached across the booster seat, the sleeve of his T-shirt rode up, offering Evie a fleeting glimpse of an intricate tattoo on his upper arm.
    She fumbled with the buckle.
    What are you doing, Evie?
    A split second before Jack closed the door, she saw the same question reflected in his eyes.
    Evie slid into the driver’s seat. Her hand trembled as she slid the key into the ignition. She glanced in the rearview mirror. “Ready?”
    Two small heads bobbed in unison.
    â€œOkay.” Evie summoned a bright smile, trying to match their confidence.
    She followed Jack’s truck as he cut through the heart of the town, zigzagging through a maze of stop signs that seemed to mark the division of neighborhoods as well as the intersections.
    He turned onto Fairview and pulled up in front of a run-down three-story building a few blocks from the house on Brewster Street where she and Gin had dropped the groceries off for Nicki.
    Evie was tempted to keep driving. She couldn’t believe how much the neighborhood had deteriorated over the years.
    Country music seeped underneath the door of a bar that had replaced the dry cleaners on the corner.
    Thomsen’s Bakery, a favorite Saturday morning destination for